Reparations
by Laura Schiller
Summary: Coda to "Lesson Zero". Twilight finds herself in the awkward position of having to ask Big Macintosh to give back her doll.


Reparation

By Laura Schiller

Based on _My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic_

Copyright: Lauren Faust

"Big Macintosh?"

The red stallion turned away from the apple tree he'd been assessing in order to meet the wide purple gaze of a young unicorn mare.

"Howdy, Twilight," he said, scrutinizing her with unreadable green eyes.

"Hi." Twilight Sparkle dug at the ground nervously. "I was wondering … um … I just came here to ask … "

How do you ask your friend's brother, whom you deeply respect, to give back a raggedy old doll which he only took away because you enchanted it with a "Want It, Need It" spell that caused a citywide brawl? Fighting monsters was almost easy im comparison.

"May I have my doll back, please?" she managed to ask in a tiny voice.

Big Macintosh trotted off in the direction of the house, gesturing "follow me" with his sandy-maned head. Twilight followed, her ears low with shame. Was he only being his usual silent self, or was he furious?

The homestead was empty for once, except for Granny Smith dozing in her rocking chair. Applebloom was still in school, and Applejack was apple-bucking at the opposite end of the orchard. Twilight had made sure of this, since the last thing she wanted right now was unvarnished honesty. It would take a few days until she could look her earth pony friend in the face again.

Big Macintosh's bedroom was not quite what she had expected. The wooden furniture was as simple and comfortable as the rest of the house, and the quilt on his bed was definitely apple-patterned, but the bookshelf took her by surprise. It took up an entire wall. There was not only a collection of farmers' almanacs, books on animal care and orchard maintenance, but mathematics, philosophy, history, and a long row of battered _Star Trot_ novels. Twilight suppressed a squeal with some difficulty. This was _not_ the time to start raiding his bookshelf.

Smarty Pants, the formerly enchanted doll, leaned against Big Macintosh's desk lamp. Twilight snatched it up via levitation, stuffed it into her saddle bag, and breathed a sigh of relief as soon as it was out of sight.

"I'm so sorry," she blurted out. "I don't know what got into me yesterday. I didn't mean for _everyone_ to start fighting, you see? Just the three fillies, just a little bit. It was stupid and wrong, I know, I just really, _really_ needed to send that friendship report to Princess Celestia by sundown, or else I'd fail my classes and get sent back to magic kindergarten. Except the Princess wouldn't have done it, obviously. She told me. And now I'm babbling, aren't I, and I'm really sorry for wasting your time and for that stunt with the doll, so … um … have a nice day."

She was about to slink out the door when his slow, deep voice made her stop in her tracks.

"Hey."

She looked over her shoulder.

Big Macintosh's eyes, green as the apple variety he was named for, were surprisingly kind as he smiled down at her.

"You worry too much, Twilight," he said in his slow country drawl. "With all the good you do for my sisters and for Ponyville, you could muck up worse than this and it wouldn't matter."

It was a long speech by his standards, and she was glad to hear it. She didn't even mind the phrase "mucking up" – apparently Applejack's honesty was a family trait.

"You'n your friends beat Discord," he added bluntly. "We won't forget."

_Discord._ The name wiped the smile off her face faster than anything else could have done.

"Scary, ain't it?" said Big Macintosh. "A world with no rules."

Twilight could only nod.

She remembered the herds of flying pigs and giraffe-legged rabbits, panicked by their own unnatural shapes; the chocolate rain and sudden freeze that almost ruined the crops; Rarity straining under the weight of a rock she believed was a diamond; Pinkie Pie's bitterness; Rainbow Dash's apathy; Applejack's lying; Fluttershy's vicious laugh as she upended a bucket over Twilight's face. All five of her beautiful, vibrant friends with gray coats and dead looks in their eyes, turning their backs on her, with Discord laughing at them all the while.

It was only when she saw the concern in Big Macintosh's eyes that she realized that she was crying.

"I just wanted everything to go back to normal," she sobbed, speaking out loud what she had barely acknowledged even to herself. "To get control over my life again, the way I used to. Instead I mucked things up, as you put it, even worse!"

This time, the tall stallion did not have to say anything. He simply drew her close to him and stroked her mane, letting her cry into his fur as if she were one of his sisters. A few days ago, she would have been mortified at the idea, when they had barely exchanged two words together; she hadn't understood how little, after all, friendship has to do with words. One does not always have to speak in order to understand.

"I should have known better," Twilight finally said, floating a handkerchief out of her saddle bag to wipe her eyes. "But I will next time. And, Macintosh?"

He tilted his head in an inquiring manner.

"Thank you. You're … a good friend."

A slow, warm smile lit up his apple-red face.

"Eeyup."


End file.
